This invention relates to automated carton handling machinery. It is specifically designed for sealing the top and ends of cartons such as are used in the meat packing industry. These cartons are filled from the top. Each has a pair of top panels which overlap one another. Each panel in turn has a pair of outer tabs that must be folded and sealed to the exterior surfaces of the respective carton ends. The machinery has been designed for high speed operation, which requires that the top panels and end tabs be manipulated as each carton moves continuously along a selected path. The machinery has also been specifically designed to handle two different lengths of cartons fed at random through it.
The carton itself is fed into this mechanism in a partially folded condition. The bottom wall of the carton can be sealed by a machine such as that illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,421,415, issued Jan. 14, 1969 entitled "Apparatus for Setting Up and Gluing Cartons". The precise manner by which the carton is prepared for loading and the manner by which it is loaded or filled are not material to an understanding of the present invention.